Generation Gap

I've found that different generations see me very differently, as I wander around with Daughter strapped to my front.

I am in my mid twenties and have been married for three years now. My wardrobe is still composed of left-overs from my university days though, and as a result, people presume that I am far younger than I am. In my pre-bump days, I was frequently asked for ID when trying to buy lottery tickets.

I've found that people in their forties and fifties respond rather harshly to me, thinking me to be a teenage mother. Older people, however, are helpful and friendly. I think it's down to the difference in expectations between these generations. Older folk expected to have children younger, so seeing someone my age with a babe in arms isn't such an unusual sight.

It all got me to thinking though- I feel, as a person, no different to how I did when I was 17. Speaking to my Granddad, he said exactly the same thing. He still feels as though he's just pretending to be an adult at well past 80. So why are teen mum's so discriminated against if we think in exactly the same way we do? It just goes to show that motherhood relies on instinct and common sense, rather than on age and experience.